Page 156 - My FlipBook

136 Curative Treatment of Caries. —
account of the impossibility of making a cavity that will
properly retain the plugging; hence the teeth must be lost.
As a general rule, it is safest and best to plug any tooth, in
which decay has so far progressed as to form a cavity sufficient
to retain a plug. If the decay be spread over an extensive
surface and be superfical, it should be filed away. Before pro-
ceeding to either operation, the constitutional formation or
structure of the teeth or their predisposition to decay, the
state of the general system, of the digestive organs, and of the
secretions of the mouth, should be duly taken into considera-
tion. No precise or deffinite rules can be given, on account
of the great variety of position, in which the teeth decay, the
progress of the disease, and the circumstances under which it
occurs. The operation must be left to the judgment of the
judicious dentist.
The filing of the teeth is a very nice operation, requires
great mechanical tact and skill, as well as judgment. We
have often seen the teeth horribly mangled, cut, notched and
disfigured, by careless, ignorant or incompetent operators.
"The method of using the file, in separating teeth, requires
the most careful attention. I have frequently seen teeth, after
they have been separated by some careless operator, that have
made me feel ashamed of my profession. The file is often
used in the most awkward and crooked manner.'" Snell,
page 136.
Sometimes it is not necessary or advisable to separate de-
caying teeth, but open them on the inner side and plug them.
This however depends on circumstances. The judicious den-
tist must decide upon the proper treatment.